Piano exam time is during school day?

[olaflikeswarmhugs]

Dd has just got the date for her first paint exam . It was booked months ago but I have just been give the date and time and she will need to miss a morning of school to attend .

Is this normal ? Will she always have to miss school to take the exams . She's only 9 now so not a massive deal but could be when she gets to high school .

[Primrose123]

Yes, that's pretty normal. :)

[Georgethesecond]

Yes, it always is

[CleanLinesSharpEdges]

Yes, it's normal. DS has to take a whole day for his exam, as it was at midday and the venue was over an hours drive away, so no point in going into school either before or afterwards.

[olaflikeswarmhugs]

Ok thanks I just assumed it would be in the evening like her lessons

Should I be honest with the school and tell them where she is going ? Or should I just say she has "an appointment" ?

[BackforGood]

Yes - normal.
Yes, just tell them she's got a music exam (they won't count it as unauthroised, or, if you tie it right, not even that she's been absent at all).
Why does she need a morning - it only takes about 10mins (dd has on tomorrow!) - I mean, I know you have to add travelling, but all morning??

[BackforGood]

*time

[CleanLinesSharpEdges]

We were honest with the school. At first they said it would be an unauthorised absence but we talked them round.

[olaflikeswarmhugs]

No to be fair it's unlikely to be all morning she will probably get into school for 11 .

[ErrolTheDragon]

Yes, it's normal. Having music lessons in school time is also normal (ie with peripatetic teachers who come to the school)- schools are generally supportive of kids doing this sort of thing. At DD's secondary once they get to yr10 they schdule the lessons before school or during break/lunch to avoid GCSE disruption.

[Theas18]

Absolutely normal. Tell school. They might code a educated off site .weve never had problems in fact they've been happy and had a wee boast in the newsletter too.

Some schools are exam centres themselves if they have enough candidates. That is great - means I don't have to take time off work. Mind you last time DS went out of school for an exam ( at 16 for heavens sake! He got there fine, did the exam and the got on the bus going into town instead of back to school he was so churned up about it!)

[18yearstooold]

Dd's are all during school and her violin teacher takes her -I've only ever been to my own exams ??

[Ishouldbeweaving]

Tell school, they'll be fine with it. I tried my best to make sure DS got to registration because I thought that there was less to object to when it didn't result in an absent mark.

[Worriedandlost]

It is normal but you can call to examining board and try to change the day for Saturday if it is bothering you.

[RaspberryLemonPavlova]

Absolutely normal. We've always been coded as education off-site at Junior and Secondary. Ballet exams too.

[nonicknameseemsavailable]

my daughter's dancing exams are during school time too. I just sent in a letter for it (and will do when I get the time for this one) saying that she has an exam on that day at that time and will be out of school from x time but will be returned as quickly as possible afterwards and give an indication of when roughly. Dancing exams we have to be there an hour before it as well as for the half hour exam itself as well as the travel (luckily short).

[JulieMichelleRobinson]

All mine were during school hours. All my students' have been during school hours. Most of the dance exams for which I've played have been during school hours (older girls sometimes a Saturday or Sunday). I don't think I was ever marked absent for exams or even competition... When I was in upper secondary, I was allowed time off for lunchtime recitals (performing) and had an amazingly vague permission slip from my mother letting me be off school premises for anything vaguely educational, as and when.

[RabbitOfNegativeEuphoria]

It's not unusual. Sometimes exams might be on a Saturday, but it really depends on the centre. We have never had any trouble at all with our kids being off for exams (there have been A LOT of exams - quick mental tot up - so far between the 3 of them there have been 35 taken outside school (that includes 3 dance exams too), with just 2 of those falling on a Saturday, and an additional 4 taking place on school premises. This term there will be 2 more off school premises both requiring a whole day off school (the school is 30 miles away, neither DH nor I are prepared to drive an hour there and an hour back to facilitate less than 2 hour's school (both exams early afternoon)). When they were at primary school the kids could nip out to the exam centre and go back with no trouble, and DS still can do that, the girls can't. It's always been fine. The school did suggest that for DD1's grade 7 singing she should register to do it at their centre rather than the one she usually uses, and she was happy to do that, but it hasn't worked out for her grade 8. For their first study instrument the girls have no choice but to do the exams outside school (and sometimes some distance away from where we live, too) because it's Trinity Guildhall board which the school doesn't do.

It's always been an educated off site code that is used. We don't even have to send a letter, an email is fine.

[RabbitOfNegativeEuphoria]

Actually, I left out 5 exams. Forgot that DD1 did piano too! 2 of them were outside school, 3 done in school.

[JustAShopGirl]

my girls always have late morning exam times - sometime between 11 and 12 - pick up after registration, return for afternoon registration. Always a Thursday too.. weird... all 5 exams... on a Thursday between 11 and 12...

[nonicknameseemsavailable]

thats interesting you got an educated off site code used. ours went down as authorised absence. or is that the same thing?

[Theas18]

Nonick. It's not the same as authorised absence as they are still " in school" as it were just not on the premises !
Our school is wise to use this code as I'm sure it looks better. Thry have a huge number of kids doing extra curricular at high level so I guess codes that don't drag attendence figures down are really helpful, after all one can easily argue that all these things have direct impact on education- for dd doing GCSE music, every performance opportunity - exam or concert with the schools music service, or a live radio carol service as we have coming up, are all really helpful. Those doing high level sport do the same. The schools exam stats suggest that letting kids out for all this stuff isn't adversely affecting education over all ( and the kid who trained/ trialled for the Olympics had a lot of tine off !).

[olaflikeswarmhugs]

What's an educated off site code ?

[BackforGood]

What Theas18 has just explained to you.
They are recorded as still having their education, they just physically aren't on the school site.

[olaflikeswarmhugs]

I don't get the code part though? Why do you need a code ? Why don't you just send a letter in and that's that ?

[Dragonlette]

You don't need a code as a parent. The school need a code in the register. You just send a letter in, the school put a different letter in the register to show that she's not absent, but she's recieving her education elsewhere that morning.